Carbon buildup

[anthonylee337]

I am reading quite a few SHO owners talking about carbon buildup. I have 18k miles on mine so I was wondering at what mileage should I look into carbon cleaning and how is this performed? I talked to my buddy at Ford and he told me not to worry about carbon buildup and just to drive my car! He also recommended not to put anything in my motor to address this issue. Has anyone here successfully cleaned the carbon out of their engine? I also noticed Ford has a new design to the ecoboost engine that is port and direct injected so I'm not blind to the fact of a possible design flaw but I also realize by the time our engines start to lose power it should be well over 100k miles. Input on this would be appreciated!

 

[SHOnUup]

From what I've read, no cleaning processes are ok'ed by Ford. Valve cleanings are supposedly causing turbo issues. Meth injection looks like the only fail safe so far. I'm a rookie to this so hopefully some of the guru's chime in.

Rich

 

[ZSHO]

I have been interested in this topic for quite a while know,the major symptoms to look for are poor mpg,rough idle,hesitation,if your car does not exhibit those issues,symptoms,would not worry that much for know,just use a good full synthetic motor oil at frequent intervals,and top tier gas like 93 Exxon,Shell if you have.

 

[anthonylee337]

Good advice! I try to get my oil changed every 4000 miles and I only put Shell V-power 93. My car idles so smooth sometimes It feels like my engine is not even running. From what I've read the major issue with carbon buildup is power loss.

 

[BiGMaC]

I am reading quite a few SHO owners talking about carbon buildup. I have 18k miles on mine so I was wondering at what mileage should I look into carbon cleaning and how is this performed? I talked to my buddy at Ford and he told me not to worry about carbon buildup and just to drive my car! He also recommended not to put anything in my motor to address this issue. Has anyone here successfully cleaned the carbon out of their engine? I also noticed Ford has a new design to the ecoboost engine that is port and direct injected so I'm not blind to the fact of a possible design flaw but I also realize by the time our engines start to lose power it should be well over 100k miles. Input on this would be appreciated!

Problem with GDI (which is how all the power comes from a V6) is no way (except Meth or dismantling) to clean intake valves... hence the MP injection addition by Ford.  FMC has one of the best systems, but it is a problem...  BG services bought a '10 SHO and tested this for over 60K miles... the car was evaluated with boroscope, dyno, and/or driver impressions every 5K miles...

worth the read... It is here: https://www.bgprod.com/bgfueltest/

 

[SHOdded]

Def get on the gas once in a while (as discussed in another thread) to get the "cobwebs" off.  Driving too long in gas-saving mode only exacerbates the problem.  You could try switching to a good full-synthetic to help decrease PCV vapors & thus carbon buildup.

 

[anthonylee337]

Looks like the BG stuff works pretty good-has anyone used it and where do you get it? Can it be performed by a dealer or is it a fuel additive?

 

[ZSHO]

I tried the BG fuel system cleaner in a can for 22.00 and to be honest with you,noticed no difference in performance,mpg,the BG service performed only at select dealers is highly recommended to clean inside the intake valves,which fuel system cleaners cannot achieve,last i heard its a couple hundred and only performed at select dealers.

 

[SHOdded]

The FI in-tank cleaner is good, but the induction service for DI engines is what you need, performed by an authorized dealer or service shop.  As an aside, here's a link to knowing if you might have a leaky fuel injector (a known occasional problem with these engines):
http://diagnosecarproblems.blogspot.com/2012/06/leaky-injector-symptoms.html

 

[ZSHO]

The FI in-tank cleaner is good, but the induction service for DI engines is what you need, performed by an authorized dealer or service shop.  As an aside, here's a link to knowing if you might have a leaky fuel injector (a known occasional problem with these engines):
http://diagnosecarproblems.blogspot.com/2012/06/leaky-injector-symptoms.html

-MANU,you the MAN.

 

[anthonylee337]

The only thing that makes me nervous about bringing it in to a dealer for cleaning is my brother-a certified machinist/mechanic for 28 years told me not to do it. He said he heard of bending valves and running large deposits through the turbos. He told me the same thing a Ford mechanic said which is NOT to have a dealership run any type of cleaner through the motor. Adding it to a tank of gas was recommended only!

 

[anthonylee337]

By the way-I have 6 dealerships within 10 miles of my house that offers this cleaning and none of them are Ford service centers! Makes you wonder

 

[ZSHO]

This is the can of BG fuel system cleaner,purchased a while ago,for preventative maintenance and as a safeguard,add a can or two as SHOdded mentioned earlier. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DDVU6EI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[J-Will]

Is that any different than SeaFoam or zMax? I have loads of both already for my other vehicles.

 

[IHeartGroceries]

Anybody here up for tackling a DIY manual cleaning?

 

[Spartn27]

I used this with great results:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-39089-Fuel-System-Tune-Up/dp/B009PPL604/ref=dp_ob_title_auto

 

[SHOdded]

With an induction system cleaning, you can get the best benefit with an oil/filter change shortly after, since the oil will get contaminated much quicker than in a normal drive cycle.  Check the oil frequently after the change to see if it needs doing again.

If you are really concerned about bent valves etc. you could get a USB boroscope and have a looksee to find out how bad your SHO has it.

 

[SHOdded]

A summary of the carbon buildup issues and current thoughts on GDI maintenance/repair:
http://www.motor.com/magazine/pdfs/122014_7.pdf

 

[BiGMaC]

Good read... thanks Manu.  It also clarifies the new 3.5 GDI with a parallel set of MP injectors as Ford is using in the new Ford GT.

 

[anthonylee337]

Interesting read-wondering about the Ford program about changing out the heads under warranty! I'm guessing your engine would have to throw all kinds of codes for this to happen. I have close to 20k miles on mine and I don't feel even the slightest loss of power. I guess we'll have to keep our fingers crossed!